Box-shaped packages configured for being easily reversibly opened and reclosed are commercially available. Nowadays, such packages are used for containing a wide range of products such as, for example: drugs, cosmetics, food products (confectionery products, for example), cigars, and cigarettes.
Generally, such packages include a container of paper material having a box-shape, exhibiting two accesses longitudinally opposite to each other. At each access, the container includes a tab rotatably with respect to the container itself between an open condition wherein the tab is distanced from the access, and a closed condition wherein the tab is inserted in the container and occludes the access. The tab, in the closed condition of the container, exhibits a “L” shape wherein an inserting portion of the tab itself inside the container, faces and contacts a front wall of this latter.
The package can include one or more wrappers—insertable and extractable from the container—in which the products are disposed (the wrapper can include a blister supporting a plurality of pharmaceutical-type products, for example) or the products are directly housed in the package (without any wrapper): the “loose” products are inserted in the package in the same way used nowadays for cigars and cigarettes.
However, it is noted that such types of packages can be easily openable by children which therefore can come in contact with elements which are potentially hazardous to them. It is also observed that such packages enable to completely extract the product (a blister containing medicines, cosmetics plastic tubes, and so on, for example) from the package itself: once the product is extracted, there is the possibility of forgetting it outside the package, consequently children can possibly come in contact with potentially hazardous elements.
A further embodiment of some packages includes a casing of paper material, having a box-shape; the inside of the casing receives a tray of plastic material which constrains to the inside thereof one or more blisters destined to contain a plurality of products.
The casing exhibits a standard open and close mechanism (the movable “L”-shaped tab is useless in the package); in the closed condition of the package, an engagement portion of the tab extends parallel to a front wall of the container itself.
Contrary to the preceding solutions, the casing of this latter package exhibits, at the opposite longitudinal lateral walls, two slots which are moreover disposed along a diagonal of the casing itself. The tray includes two projections adapted to be inserted in respective slots of the casing: in the condition, wherein the tray is housed in the casing, the engagement of the projections into the slots prevents the tray itself from being extracted by only pulling the casing itself. If somebody wants to extract the tray from the container, it is necessary to apply a pressure on the projections in order to push them towards the inside of the container itself and cause them to disengage from the slots; at this point, it is possible to extract the tray.
This latter solution has an open mechanism requiring to grasp and handle in a particular way the package, this condition makes arduous to open the same by children.
However, the described package is not devoid of limitations and inconveniences. Actually, it is noted that the structure of the package is somewhat complex, this fact adversely affects the manufacturing costs and the cost of the product itself; actually, the package for correctly operating requires a shaped tray of plastic material. Moreover, the particular structure of the tray requires to substantially modify the existing packaging plants used for making standard-type packages; particularly, such modification requires to insert a new closure line, to provide a suitable equipment for forming the tray consequently the manufacturing costs and therefore also the costs of the final product are substantially increased.